Overview of the Membership and Leadership Development Program

-YOU and YOUR League leaders had training and mentoring before leading and support while leading.

-OUR League’s voice was as strong and powerful as our reputation in all communities across the United States!

That is the long term vision of the Membership and Leadership Development (MLD) Program.

Today, our democracy faces some very real challenges:

a deepening political divide;

new and increasingly aggressive attacks on voting rights across the United States; and

the dissemination of misinformation regarding the political process as a whole.

NOW more than ever, voters crave authentic solutions and want nonpartisan, factual information from a trustworthy source.

NOW is the time to ensure our League voice remains strong as we promote our focused, quality work.

THE LEAGUE IS NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER!

As part of the program, local Leagues employ best practices intentionally focused on strengthening and growing the League and the League's impact, with the help of state and national coaches for support. Local Leagues, state Leagues, and coaches are all trained in tried-and-true techniques proven to recruit new members and engage and retain current members, develop leaders and examine sustainability.

Currently, over 170 state coaches are working with 25 national coaches (also known as the Ruth S. Shur Fellows) to provide guidance, mentoring, and support to local Leagues across the country. And we are already seeing results!

Leagues that are following best practices have seen net membership increase between 2% and 20% percent. In the past three years the overall national membership numbers have stabilized reversing the trend of a 3-5% annual decline in membership numbers since the 1970s. In 2013, 29 states experienced net growth, ranging from 2%-19%. In January 2014, 19 states experienced net growth ranging from 2%-20%.